1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of automotive accessories, and more particularly to a novel wheel assembly that employs interchangeable decorative members which rotate with or remain or appear static as the wheel rotates.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, the conventional aluminum wheel design has employed elaborate “center” decorations and designs which require removal of substantial material from the wheel itself in order to create the design. The most limiting factor to the creative expression or enhancement of the “center” of the wheel is the direct effect material removal has on the strength of the wheel to create the design. Therefore, problems and difficulties have been encountered with employing conventional wheel design, which stem largely from the fact that the design enhancement is greatly limited due to the required removal of wheel material which then greatly weakens the strength of the wheel. Also, wheel center design is generally unchangeable and requires the placement of new wheels with different designs to achieve design change.
Furthermore, some prior centers for wheel visual enhancement are integral, non-removable members requiring structures fixedly secured to the wheel so as to rotate with the wheel as the vehicle mounting the wheels moves along a roadway. Thus, the variety of design and decorative options are greatly limited. For example, any design center enhanced by static viewing cannot be read or understood as a wheel rotates since such indicia becomes blurred. Decorative members or covers mounted on a wheel are disclosed in U.S. Letters Patents 5,845,972 and 6,517,167.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel wheel design member or decorative member arrangement which includes a coupler that permits a variety of design configurations to be placed in the central area of the wheel and which may rotate with or appear to be or is stationary while the wheel rotates. Strength of the wheel will not be adversely affected and interchange ability of different designs should be accommodated.